DSLR for beginner

[Tomzy97]

Well hello!

 

Im going to buy my first DSLR. I will be using it for picturing airplanes and other stuff. My budget is around 500$. I was thinking about buying used Canon 1000d which is around 2 years old, and it has done around 10.000 photos. I will also get default 18-55 lens and 75-300mm lens. Is that good for beginner or i should choose other DSLR.

 

Thank you for answers.

 

 

[whatthe_fuzz]

D3100/D3200

[qwertywarrior]

rebel T3 is a great DSLR for beginners

[maxvons]

The Nikon D3200 is an awesome entry lvl camera. I personally would spend a bit more, and get the D7100, or wait for the D7200.

 

Personally, I own a D800, but I'm more of an enthusiast, and I know that this camera is way out of your budget and needs.

[Flyguygamer]

Get a t3i.

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

The 1000d is fine, 10k actuations is average...sometimes they like to break around there...sometimes they go a lot longer.

 

The biggest decision you need to make is which lens lineup you want to go with.  The lens options are different between Canon and Nikon(the only two you should really look at).  Both of them make great bodies, but the bodies don't matter all that much(relatively).  The lens and the photographer make the photos great.

 

Bad photographers can take bad pictures with the best equipment.  Good photographers can take amazing pictures with point and shoots.  Remember that.  It's an art form, so don't get too caught up on the hardware.

 

First thing you need to do, if you don't understand these terms is do some serious studying: Aperture, exposure, focal length.  You will need to understand them to take advantage of a DSLR.  Otherwise if you only shoot in auto...you might as well buy a P&S.

[BallisticPeanut]

T3i. I believe you can get the camera with an 18-55mm kit lens for $450 on amazon. It's also a very good intro camera to DSLR video especially with the magic lantern firmware hack.

Edit: Looks like it is now $500 on Amazon, but still fits your budget perfectly.

[Mo5]

Personally I'd stay away from the 1000D as it is an outdated product. Even its successor (the 1100D) is in need of an update. If you're thinking about going Canon you should look into the T3i (600D) which should be on sales for "cheap" this days. If you are thinking going the Nikon route (video not your main priority) then go with the D3200. On Amazon.com both will cost just a nudge over 500$.

 

Either way, you wouldn't go wrong.

[Tomzy97]

I looked a Rebel T3, and it comes in two version one with 18-55 lens and one with 18-55 IS lens. There is 30$ difference in price. I know that IS is image stabilization but is there any major differencer betwen IS and non IS lens?

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

I believe(i've been out of the game for a bit) they're both 3.5-5, which means the IS is going to give you one more stop at any given light, so definitely go wit the IS version.

 

Definitely get the 50 1.8 from Canon though.  The price/performance ratio is amazing.

[Mo5]

I looked a Rebel T3, and it comes in two version one with 18-55 lens and one with 18-55 IS lens. There is 30$ difference in price. I know that IS is image stabilization but is there any major differencer betwen IS and non IS lens?

Try to look for a T3i (yes, the 'i' is important). 

[Ramzez]

The Nikon D3200 is an awesome entry lvl camera. I personally would spend a bit more, and get the D7100, or wait for the D7200.

 

Personally, I own a D800, but I'm more of an enthusiast, and I know that this camera is way out of your budget and needs.

 

D7100 is not a bit more expensive. It's a whole lot more expensive.

 

Cheaper bodies take great pictures when paired with a good lens. Better bodies gives you more options but when you are a beginner, you probably won't need them. Many people make the mistake of spendind more on their camera body than lens. The lens is what makes a great picture, not the body. Good body gives you more options but they can't give you good photos if you don't have a good glass.

 

Personally I'd stay away from the 1000D as it is an outdated product. Even its successor (the 1100D) is in need of an update. If you're thinking about going Canon you should look into the T3i (600D) which should be on sales for "cheap" this days. If you are thinking going the Nikon route (video not your main priority) then go with the D3200. On Amazon.com both will cost just a nudge over 500$.

 

Either way, you wouldn't go wrong.

 

The D3200 is an excellent camera for beginners. Or you can have the D5100 with the same money. It doesn't have as many megapixels than the D3200 but many professionals say that it is a great cheapo body. The D3200 or the D5100 paired with Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm f 1.8 is a must have combo for the beginner. Here in Finland you can get the D3200 or the D5100 with a kit lens for 400€. The 35mm lens costs around 180€. So 580€ gives you a really good starting point for learning photography.

[Guest]

I own a T3, and I can vouch for it. Great camera to start out with, get familiar with the concepts and such.

 

As for the lenses, I got a package deal with the 18-55 IS and the 75-300mm. I can say that the telephoto lens is handy every once in awhile, but unless you take a lot of pictures from far away you won't find yourself using it too much.

[maxvons]

D7100 is not a bit more expensive. It's a whole lot more expensive.

 

Cheaper bodies take great pictures when paired with a good lens. Better bodies gives you more options but when you are a beginner, you probably won't need them. Many people make the mistake of spendind more on their camera body than lens. The lens is what makes a great picture, not the body. Good body gives you more options but they can't give you good photos if you don't have a good glass.

 

 

The D3200 is an excellent camera for beginners. Or you can have the D5100 with the same money. It doesn't have as many megapixels than the D3200 but many professionals say that it is a great cheapo body. The D3200 or the D5100 paired with Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm f 1.8 is a must have combo for the beginner. Here in Finland you can get the D3200 or the D5100 with a kit lens for 400€. The 35mm lens costs around 180€. So 580€ gives you a really good starting point for learning photography.

I know a whole lot about cameras. Lens > Body for sure, but there's not really a point in buying a FX lens for a DX body, as it will crop the image, and you won't be able to take advantage of the field of view the lens is supposed to give you.

[Darth Hideous]

Definitely with everyone else here, the Rebel T3i or 600D is a great camera to get started with. You can get them pretty cheap because they're a couple of years old now. The difference between the T3i and T5i is minute, so it's not really worth getting the latest one. As for lenses, the package deal is great having both an everyday lens and a telephoto. If you're willing to fork out another $100 you could also look into getting the EF 50mm f/1.8 (http://www.canon.com.au/en-AU/Personal/Products/Cameras-and-Accessories/Camera-Lenses/EF50mm-f18-II-Lens).

[Tomzy97]

Thank you for all answers. I will probably buy D3200

[Megabikerjoe]

Thank you for all answers. I will probably buy D3200

If you haven't purchased yet, take a look at the Pentax K-500. It's a newcomer bashing all the old ones(d3200/600d)

[Ace Zedock]

The EOS M is also great for video and photos and with a 18-55 lens its only $358.90 my teacher uses it as a C camera besides his 5D MIII and is comparable to the T3I.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Compact-Systems-3-0-Inch-EF-M18-55mm/dp/B00A2BVCO0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390256168&sr=8-1&keywords=eos+m

[Myki]

The EOS M is also great for video and photos and with a 18-55 lens its only $358.90 my teacher uses it as a C camera besides his 5D MIII and is comparable to the T3I.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Compact-Systems-3-0-Inch-EF-M18-55mm/dp/B00A2BVCO0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390256168&sr=8-1&keywords=eos+m

 

EOS M is great if you really need something super compact to use for casual shooting, but then something like the Sony RX100 would be better for around the same price.

 

But let's say he wants to take it more seriously and invest in some lenses that he can also use when he upgrades the body down the track. He would have to buy the mount adaptor and that's pretty hard to find let alone expensive. I haven't personally used an EOS M but I've heard the AF is pretty whack. 

[Ruostunut kokis]

EOS M is great if you really need something super compact to use for casual shooting, but then something like the Sony RX100 would be better for around the same price.

 

But let's say he wants to take it more seriously and invest in some lenses that he can also use when he upgrades the body down the track. He would have to buy the mount adaptor and that's pretty hard to find let alone expensive. I haven't personally used an EOS M but I've heard the AF is pretty whack. 

Yeah. A lot of reviewers have complained about it's horrible AF, even after the firmware upgrade.

 

And yeah. (To OP) Keep in mind that EOS M requires adapters if you want to use ''ordinary'' canon lenses (EF and EF-S), as it has it's own mount (EF-M) for some ridiculous reasons...

 

Oh and Ace Zedock. EOS-M is more comparable to 650D (T4i) than 600D (T3i), but close enough.